Method and system for streaming a multichannel audio signal to a binaural hearing system

Inventors

Oesch, Yves • El-Hoiydi, Amre • Gigandet, Xavier

Assignees

Sonova Holding AG

Abstract

There is provided a method for streaming a multichannel audio signal comprising a first channel (L) and a second channel (R) from an audio source device to a binaural hearing system comprising a first hearing device worn at first ear of a user and a second hearing device worn at a second ear of the user.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a binaural wireless hearing streaming approach for a multichannel audio signal comprising a first channel and a second channel from an audio source device to a binaural hearing system with a first hearing device worn at a first ear and a second hearing device worn at a second ear. The method establishes a first wireless link between the audio source device and the first hearing device and a second wireless link between the audio source device and the second hearing device, and transmits the multichannel audio signal as audio packets such that first audio packets contain audio data of the first channel only and second audio packets contain audio data of the second channel only.

Each hearing device receives the audio packets and reproduces an audio output from the received audio packets. The invention operates each hearing device either in a normal packet reception mode under stable link conditions in which no audio packet loss occurs or is to be expected, or in a packet loss reception mode under instable link conditions in which packet loss occurs or is to be expected for the respective hearing device.

In the normal packet reception mode, the first hearing device receives only audio packets containing audio data of the first channel as its dedicated channel and the second hearing device receives only audio packets containing audio data of the second channel as its dedicated channel. In the packet loss reception mode, the hearing device that misses reception of an audio packet containing audio data of its dedicated channel uses an audio packet containing audio data of another one of the channels as input to a packet loss concealment (PLC) algorithm for reproducing its audio signal.

The hearing device switches from the normal packet reception mode into the packet loss reception mode once it detects that an audio packet containing audio data of its dedicated channel is not received by that hearing device, including the case that none of multiple transmissions of the same audio packet is received, and/or once it detects that the quality of its link with the audio source device, as determined by that hearing device, is below a predefined threshold.

Claims Coverage

This document provides two independent claims that cover a streaming method and a corresponding binaural hearing system. The independent claims identify four inventive features: separate wireless links with dedicated per-ear channel packets, normal versus packet loss reception mode operation, PLC reproduction using the other channel when the dedicated packet is missed, and mode switching by missing dedicated packets and/or a link-quality threshold.

Across both independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on separate wireless links carrying channel-dedicated packets to left/right hearing devices, per-device switching between normal and packet-loss reception modes, and PLC reproduction in packet-loss mode using an audio packet from the other channel.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications